The present invention relates to a hingeless ventilator for ventilating a compartment or enclosure through a defining wall thereof. Hingeless ventilators are well known in the art and there are a number of Kelly and Kelly et al. patents on hingeless ventilators particularly designed for ventilating a cab or other compartment of a vehicle. Among these patents are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,102,464; 3,358,576; 3,839,950; 4,452,129; 5,020,425; and 5,766,068. All of these patents describe two-way hingeless ventilators having closure members openable in one direction to draw air into the compartment, and openable in an opposite direction to exhaust air from the vehicle compartment. Thus, these types of ventilators that can be opened in both directions are conventionally referred to as xe2x80x9ctwo-wayxe2x80x9d hingeless ventilators.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,375,772 to Kelly et al. describes a xe2x80x9cone-wayxe2x80x9d hingeless ventilator having a cover member that is swingable in an arc in one direction between open and closed positions. The device described in the ""772 patent includes a tension rod mounted on a frame for holding the cover member in position. The cover has a guide secured to an inner face thereof having a guide way which is slidably engaged with the tension rod. This device, however, cannot be used as a two-way hingeless ventilator and, thus, lacks the inherent utility of a two-way hingeless ventilator.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved two-way hingeless ventilator.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide an improved two-way hingeless ventilator having a simplified design and operating mechanism as compared to conventional two-way hingeless ventilators.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In accordance with the objects and purposes of the invention, a two-way hingeless ventilator is provided for ventilating an enclosure through a wall thereof. The hingeless ventilator according to the invention is not particularly limited in its field of use, and may be used wherever it is desired to ventilate a compartment or space. The hingeless ventilator according to the invention includes a frame defining a central opening therethrough. Preferably, a perforated plate or screen member is disposed across the central opening. The perforated plate or screen member may be formed integral with the frame.
A closure member is disposed against an outer side of the frame to seal the central opening in a closed position. The closure member is alternately swingable relative to the frame between open and closed positions at opposite sides of the opening. Thus, the closure member has a xe2x80x9ctwo-wayxe2x80x9d operation. The closure member has a shape, for example as defined by flanges, so as to align and seal against complimenting portions of the frame member. The closure member may include a unitary bracket with a cover member attached thereto.
A tensioning or spring rod is fixed or attached to the frame and extends between opposite sides of the central opening. In a preferred embodiment, the central opening has a generally rectangular shape and the tensioning rod is fixed to the frame across the longer aspect of the rectangular opening.
An actuating member extends from an inner side of the closure member through the central opening in the frame and is located between the ends of the tensioning rod. In a preferred embodiment, the actuating member is centered longitudinally relative to the tensioning rod. The actuating member may comprise any configuration and, in a preferred embodiment, is a plate member extending from the inner side of the closure member. The actuating member may comprise a plate formed integral with the unitary plate and bent at a right angle relative thereto. In an alternative embodiment, the actuating member may comprise a plate that is welded or otherwise attached to the closure member. The actuating member extends in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tensioning rod.
The tensioning rod passes through a positioning slot defined in the actuating member. The positioning slot is defined so that the tensioning rod is maintained in a constant state of tension to apply a closing force to the closure member. The positioning slot comprises a shape so that the closure member can be pivoted or moved to an open position in either direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the frame to give the closure member its xe2x80x9ctwo-wayxe2x80x9d operation. In a preferred embodiment, the positioning slot comprises a central position defining the closed position of the cover member, and opposite side slots that extend away from, for example at an angle or arc, from the central position. The closure member is variably movable from the closed position to oppositely facing open positions by movement of the actuating member that causes the tensioning rod to slide relative to either of the side slots in its tensioned condition. In a preferred embodiment, the positioning slot has a generally V-shape with the closed position being defined at the apex of the V-shape.
The actuating member also includes a handle member or operating mechanism attached thereto so that an operator can easily operate the ventilator manually or by way of a power or driven assist.
Other features of the present two-way hingeless ventilator will be described in greater detail below through use of the appended figures.